1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mobile terminal in which a speaker hole is located in an unexposed surface and a speaker device thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a mobile terminal enables a user to perform wireless communication and various functions using various application programs while the user is carrying the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal may be, for example, a personal mobile communication service terminal, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), smart phone, International Mobile Telecommunication 2000 (IMT-2000) terminal, wireless Local Area Network (LAN) terminal and the like.
With continued development, the mobile terminal has become small in size and weight, and now includes various functions, such as Moving Picture Experts Group layer-3 (MP3) music listening, digital camera photography, navigation, and Internet connection. Accordingly, the mobile terminal is used as a complex communication terminal and is now very widely used.
Typically, the mobile terminal is provided with a speaker device. The speaker device is separately installed from a receiver for communication in the mobile terminal and is generally installed adjacent to the rear surface or the receiver of the mobile terminal.
The speaker device is used when performing communication (i.e., a speakerphone function), or when using an additional function of the mobile terminal. The additional function may be music listening through an MP3 player and program viewing through a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) module.
In a conventional mobile terminal, a speaker device is generally installed outside of the mobile terminal. Further, in order to output sound outside of the mobile terminal and to protect the speaker device, a plurality of holes (hereinafter, a speaker hole) are located in a case of the mobile terminal at a location corresponding to the speaker device, and a protective net corresponding to the speaker holes is attached thereto.
However, in the conventional mobile terminal, because a speaker hole is located in the mobile terminal case, the mobile terminal is limited due to size and configuration of the speaker hole. That is, due to the presence of the speaker hole, various design styles of the mobile terminal are complex. In addition, when the mobile terminal case is made of a metal material, forming the speaker hole in the mobile terminal case is also complex.
Therefore, a need exists for a speaker device located in an unexposed surface of a mobile terminal.